holiday

My Word of the Week #33 2019 – Holiday

August 16, 2019 by Anne Sweet 5 Comments

Hello and welcome to the home of Word of the Week, a nice and simple weekly linky, with everyone welcome to pop by and share. The idea of the linky is to reflect back on your past week and share it with us. It’s great if you can sum it up in a word or phrase, hence giving us your Word of the Week. My word this week is holiday and you can read more about that below.

I’m not totally strict on using just a word or phrase but please try to stick to the theme of summing up your week.

There are not too many rules with this linky, just remember to read at least another couple of posts in the link up after adding your link. I will read and comment on all posts and tweet them out for you. I also have a Pinterest board devoted to Word of the Week and I will add posts to Mix Please add the badge below to your post so that others may find us and join in. If you comment or tweet then please use the hashtag #WotW

Word of the Week is open from 6am on Friday Morning to 12 noon on Monday. Plenty of time to join in!

If you are unfamiliar with the Word of the Week linky then please feel free to ask any questions. New linkers are always welcome, we love to hear what you have been up to in the past week.

MY WORD OF THE WEEK.

Holiday

I’m away this week, hopefully enjoying some sunshine in Cornwall. I’ll write up all about it when I get home, but in the meantime, do link up your posts and I’ll read and share them when I can.

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Summer Time, and the Livin’ is Easy

July 22, 2019 by Anne Sweet 10 Comments

One of these Mornings, You’re Gonna Rise up Singing

Not this morning though! The first official day of the school summer holidays and I was going to be spending it in hospital having my treatment. The kid’s were going to visit Grandma who lives near the hospital. And I was going to get the ‘juice’ that would keep me going for the next four weeks. But….

I woke up with a tummy bug instead and had to cancel my appointment.

No worries though, I’ll be there on Thursday instead. And then we can begin our Summer holidays properly.

And You’ll Spread Your Wings and Rise Up to the Sky

Hey, for someone who can’t walk, flying would be a great option. But as I’ve admitted before, I’m no SuperWoman.

But we will be spreading our wings this summer and we have some lovely activities planned.

On Saturday, Boo celebrates her 12th birthday with a party tea and some friends around. We will be making her a cake, which she’ll probably design herself.

last year's birthday cake — *Boo’s Birthday Cake from last year which she made herself*

Next week we have trips planned to the Wildlife Conservation Centre and then an afternoon meeting some exotic animals. This is all thanks to a local SEND Social group, so we’ll be meeting some new friends too.

Can I ask you a favour, it’ll only take a minute? Our SEND social group does such a lot for Special Educational Needs and Disability kids in our area and they are up for some funding from Love Brum. If you could please give them a vote on this page we would be so grateful.

Fish are Jumping, and the Cotton is High

Okay, maybe I’m pushing it a bit with the lyrics now. But we will be going on holiday just after The Little Man’s birthday. (we’ve not quite decided what to do on his birthday just yet.)

We are off to Cornwall, right down to the very tip were the sea will be blue and hopefully the sky will be too. We are also meeting up with some friends for a day on the beach, and I’m hiring a beach wheelchair so I can go right up to the sea.

I am hoping for a nice peaceful holiday. There will be plenty for the kids to do as we are staying on a holiday camp with lots of entertainment. But really, I just hope we can relax for most of the time. The kids are great at keeping themselves entertained and it can be hard work getting them to leave the caravan. But this year I don’t care, so long as I can relax with a sea view then I’ll be happy.

Hush Little Baby, Don’t You Cry

So, although we have a few activities planned. And a total of three birthday’s to get through. (It’ll be Star’s 14th Birthday when we get back from Cornwall…I mananged to squeeze the holiday in between the birthday’s this year.) I am hoping that the main theme this summer will be peace and quiet.

On the inbetween days we have a schedule of less screen time and more time reading books and playing board games. We have a new Switch as a shared birthday present so I guess the laptops will be ditched in favour of this. Also, The Little Man is getting some great garden gifts for his birthday (I can’t really say what here just in case he gets nosey.) And Star has requested a very interesting board game for her birthday. (Again, hush!) Plus, I’ve been asked to review a board game! I don’t think the screen will get much of a look in!

Oh, and we are also having a go at trying some new tastes throughout the holiday. We haven’t started yet, but I plan to as soon as I feel better. And I’ve challenged the kids to learn something new. Boo has already started by learning how to crochet. (Note how she’s still listening to her tablet. I can’t complain, I’ve normally got Audible playing while I crochet.

The Flea Retreat 2019

May 22, 2019 by Anne Sweet 20 Comments

Last year I spent a fabulous weekend in Somerset for the Flea Retreat 2018. I had such a wonderful time I couldn’t wait to sign up for this years Retreat in Wales. We stayed at the lovely Tynrhyd Retreat which was situated near Devil’s Bridge, Ceredigion.

photograph of 23 bloggers, some sitting some standing in TyhnRyd retreat, Wales — *Bloggers United*

What is the Flea Retreat?

Well, it’s the gathering of a small group of bloggers for a weekend of fun and learning. It starts on Friday afternoon and finishes after lunch on Sunday and all food and refreshments are provided. (Although if you like to drink you may wish to bring your own alcohol)

There are a wide range of bloggers that attend, some old, some new but you are guaranteed to go away with a few more blogger friends than before. It’s also so lovely to meet bloggers that you may normally only interact with online.

Activities range from canoeing, gorge walking, bushcraft, photography groups, photography walks, writing groups and video workshops. You pick which you want to do and you can do as much or as little as you like.

How My Weekend Went

I arrived on Sunday to find that, although the venue was beautiful, I knew access in wheelchair was going to be difficult. After trying to navigate my chair on some scary ramps I was moved to another bedroom which involved less steps. I won’t lie, I did find the whole accessibility thing a little upsetting. Everyone was so kind and helpful though and I bet a few gained some extra muscles carrying my wheelchair up and down steps for me.

My room was lovely though and I had my own en-suite bathroom. It wasn’t a disabled toilet or bathroom, but I could manage. I had easy access to a kitchen where I could make tea and coffee and a dining room and lounge where I could interact with other bloggers and take part in workshops. The larger dining room involved one step which I eventually decided to walk down and abandon my chair. On the last day I even managed to navigate across the dining room into the other kitchen, involving a short walk with my sticks. (I paid for that later!)

What I got up to

Well, I avoided all the water activities which is probably wise seeing as I can’t swim. But there were plenty of other bloggers left behind that I was able to interact with and I had a lovely evening .

Saturday

After breakfast I was lucky enough to have my nails done by the lovely Jaime using her fabulous Bio Sculpture products.

a hand with pink nail varnish — *excuse my wrinkly hands, but this is my favourite kind of pink.*

Then I had a session on Fairy Tale writing with the lovely Kirstie Pelling. She’s generally a travel writer but also writes poetry at Poet in Motion. I was inspired to continue writing my poetry now. I have a small collection over on Poetry in Stitches.

After lunch I did more writing in a workshop with the Rachael Lucas. It was really interesting, and I’ve just received on of her new books from Amazon.

While I’m talking books, I also grabbed myself a copy of Play Groups and Prosecco from the lovely Jo Middleton who blogs at Slummy Single Mummy

Then, I did a photography workshop with Derek Lomas Who is incredibly creative and can make the most simple product look totally amazing. We had some fun with some Bio Sculpture Gemini nail polish.

a pile of nail varnish dripping onto a clear white surface, against a white background. — Photo courtesy Derek Lomas

Dinner on Saturday was more formal and we also had a birthday girl in our midst, the lovely Victoria from Verily Victoria Vocalises. I hope she had a lovely day.

Sunday

Sunday I was a little frustrated as I’d planned some sessions which caused me problems with accessibility. This left me stuck in my own corner of the venue with a video session. Arrgh, I cringe at being on film, but the session turned out to be really good. I learnt a lot from Tony, and watching my video back was not as cringy as I was expecting it to be. We were all able to give constructive opinions on each other’s videos and Tony helped us with pointers on how we could improve. It actually gave me some inspiration and confidence in making some more video content.

Tony from Chefs Training also ran some food based video workshops as he trains Social Media chefs on camera skills.

Then we had another session with Rachael Lucas which helped inspire us and build our confidence. Rachael is a joy to listen to and I learnt so much from her.

Then it was time for our group photo before heading in for our last lunch together.

My husband decided to take the scenic route home through the Elan Valley, which was absolutely stunning although a little too high for my liking at certain points. I’ve since learnt it’s where we get our water from here in Birmingham.

Elan Valley, big green hills with a river flowing through it. — *Elan Valley*

What Makes a Flea Retreat Different?

If you are a blogger then you’ve probably heard of tons of different blogger events, whether they are for one day or a whole weekend. You go along, learn a lot, meet up with PR agencies and brands that may want to work with you, chat with tons of other bloggers, make new friends etc.

The Flea retreat is much more relaxed. There is a lot to do, but you do not feel obliged to do everything and sitting around chatting, or even going to your room for a nap, is perfectly fine. Because it’s just a small amount of bloggers it’s easy to fit in and make new friends or catch up with old friends. Everyone is friendly and the staff working there are super helpful and lots of fun. Because the venue is out of the way, you get to see some beautiful views and photo opportunities. You may also get the opportunity to do something new or different, like canoeing or gorge walking. Both events so far have involved a hot tub. The one this year looked super amazing and really wished I’d been able to jump in too.

The next Retreat I believe is going to be a winter one, so I’m thinking it’s going to be a little different. It’s well worth grabbing a place though.

The retreat wouldn’t be the same without it’s wonderful team of organisers and helpers. I have to end with a big thank you and a shout out to the team.

Sally – https://www.whosthemummy.co.uk/
Jen – https://www.muminthemadhouse.com/
Afra- https://www.madmumof7.com/
Sarah – https://tobygoesbananas.co.uk/
Jess – https://jessicainyourear.com/

N.B. I do not in any way hold Flea Enterprises responsible for my accessibility problems. The venue had claimed to have the necessary ramps and facilities but were greatly lacking. Flea Enterprises have given them feedback on the issues I faced. These days, it’s really easy to provide decent ramps and aids for disabled visitors and hopefully they will be more aware in the future.

EDIT: Exciting News!!

I’ve just heard that the Tynrhyd Retreat has now sorted out the correct ramps for future visitors. This makes me very happy 🙂

Kids say (and do) the Funniest Things

February 18, 2019 by Anne Sweet 21 Comments

This is a purely indulgent post, full of personal memories. But I do hope you find a few things that will make you smile too.

I love the memories you can get on Facebook, when it shows you what you have posted on the same day in the past. I get some real gems showing up so I thought I’d collect some and share them in a post.

Christmas 2009

Star was a little girl of four years old, Boo was two and the Little Man hadn’t yet made his appearance (although I was soon to find out he was on the way.)

One day I was playing with Star and I asked her if she’d like to sing a Christmas song. ‘Yes’ she said, she always loved to sing.

So I asked her what song she’d like to sing, thinking maybe she’d come up with Jingle Bells or Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

No, she said. Let’s sing the one about the turkey and the custard cream.

Ah yes, that good old Christmas classic. I’ve never worked out what she meant.

two little girls on Christmas day 2009 — Christmas 2009

2010 One For All

While I was pregnant with the Little Man we braved a holiday with the girls. It was a lovely holiday camp and we had a great time. Boo was around two and a half at the time and one day she was prancing around with a stick saying ‘We are the Biscuit Ears!’ We thought it was hilarious.

Star understood her so we asked her to explain. Of course, she meant musketeer. Barbie and the Musketeers was currently Star’s favourite DVD to watch. We’ve constantly teased Boo about being a biscuit ear.

two little girls standing on a rock at a caravan park in 2010 — The Biscuit Ears

2011 Gems

In 2011 the Little Man was around but he wasn’t talking yet. So I have a couple of gems from the girls.

Just before the Summer holiday break up at school Star’s class all came out with painted faces. They ran out of school like a herd of animals. Then came Star with a clean face. When I asked why she wasn’t painted like the other children she replied, ‘I washed it off Mummy, because I didn’t want to scare you. So sweet! I do think that there is more to this story though as Star became traumatised by face paint since then and will not even go near a child that has had their face painted.

Early 2011 Boo was just three years old. They had both been given a packet of sweets on the way home from shopping. At home Star was looking for her sweets, I asked Boo if she’d seen them. She replied, ‘yes Mummy, I’ve seen them and now they are in my tummy.’ If nothing, she was honest! And how could you be angry when she had such a sweet little face…look this is the face of the innocent..or not!

a little girl standing by a duck pond — The Sweet, sweet thief in 2011

2014 Hair Dye

This one is for the Little Man. In 2014 when he was around three and a half he was at that stage where he followed me everywhere around the house. I couldn’t even go to the bathroom in peace. I’m sure you parents can understand.

One day I grabbed my towel, my hair dye and popped off to the bathroom to die my hair. The Little Man asked ‘What you doing Mummy?’ So I told him I was going to dye my hair.

Five minutes later there is a knock on the bathroom door and the Little Man called out…’Mummy, is your hair dead yet?’

a little boy standing by a fence — The Little Man in 2014

Music

I’m pretty sure when I was a child I listened to ‘normal’ music. At the present I’m in the same room as the girl’s while they are playing on the PS4. They have their own playlist playing and boy do I feel old when some of the ‘tunes’ just give me a headache. But the worst is they love some Youtuber who sings Minecraft parodies. His lyrics are clever, but his voice is just plain awful. So bad that it’s funny at first, but when you’ve heard it more than once you really want to turn it off (or cut your ears off!)

But lets go back to 2016 and the Little Man when he was just five years old. He was playing a little game on the computer and had his own playlist on in the back ground. It was four songs on repeat; We Will Rock You, Levan Polka, It’s Raining Taco’s and Gummy Bears. I think you can understand why all my children now have headphones!

As an extra special treat for you, here is the Levan Polka as performed by the magnificent Hatsune Miku. Spin those leeks!

Don’t Sweat it, I’m Prepared

September 5, 2018 by Anne Sweet 13 Comments

Holiday

I left you last week with my memories of our lovely holiday in Devon. The family has decided that next year they would like to try a Butlins holiday camp instead. My anxiety over this is rising, but I know I will do it if I can. First up, I do have many experiences of Butlins Camps and they have been very crowded and busy. Also, I don’t like chalets, I really don’t, so our accommodation will have to be something else, and it will have to be ground floor and accessible. This means the cost is going to be much higher. If I start now, I can be prepared, I hope.

Back To School

It’s back to school week this week for most and I’ve been getting everything prepared. I left the uniform shopping a little late, but I think I have everything now. (I’m still waiting on Boo’s p.e. trousers as they were out of stock in her size, so I hope she doesn’t have p.e. on her first day back.) We went to get their new school shoes and were shocked to find that Boo has bigger feet than Star! There is nearly two years between them and Star is much taller, but Boo has the bigger feet and you know what that means? Yes, we had to buy her bigger shoes. It’s only half a size so I’m glad they chose completely different shoes so they won’t get mixed up.

Awareness

It’s just six weeks until the awareness day for Stiff Person Syndrome and I am on the team for promoting this day. I run the Twitter account and I have prepared some photos with facts to tweet out on the day, twenty of them to be precise. I am also preparing a video with little statements from several Stiff Person Syndrome sufferers. I have a list of everything I need to do to make sure I am fully prepared. I’m also hoping that the new website will be ready in time, but I’m not in charge of that. I will be helping to promote it though. Awareness is the key, the more people that know about our condition the easier diagnosis will become and maybe one day we’ll even get someone interested in researching cures and treatments. It’s all preparation for future generations.